Andrew Gale: Frantic, maybe, but it’s a brand of cricket we will alway try to play

Joe Root. PIC: Scott Merrylees

Andrew Gale

Published:16:21Friday 06 May 2016

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IT was a frantic finish at the end in our County Championship game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge this week and that is the brand of cricket that we want to play and always will.

It was a great advert for the four-day game, although my heart was in my mouth going into the last over, especially when Patto got out in the last few balls, thinking I had made a mistake in trying to push for the win!

But you have got to be prepared to lose to win games and if we had come out on top, it would have been a great effort, although we probbaly just ran out of time a little bit.

We knew as soon as Pudsey (Liam Plunkett) came out and I came in that we wanted to shut up shop.

But it didn’t help that me and Dave (Willey) got out in successive overs as then we were under pressure again.

It nearly backfired on us. But we have had some really good feedback since and it was a good advertisement for the game.

Looking at it, it was a good solid draw, but an opportunity missed really and that was the way we saw it.

Two bad sessions probably cost us a win, really – on the first morning of the first day and on the morning of the fourth day, particularly after getting a wicket in the first over.

When we did that, we were thinking we could bowl them out.

But we just lacked consistency and fair play to (Chris) Read and (Stuart) Broad, they played well and counter-punched us.

It is two games now where we have missed our opportunities.

We had Hampshire 120-6 on that second day and then there was this game as well. It was set up nicely for us in both games to win and little sloppy sessions are letting us down.

It is something we have spoken about and we know if we are going to get back on track, then we need to win those sessions and be ruthless.

Fair play to Alex Lees; he had a fantastic game and he had been hitting the ball well early season without getting a big score – as have all the batters really.

But it just clicked into place for Alex and he hit the ball well and I am pleased he made a big score.

Hopefully, he can kick on now and have a fantastic season as he’s an exceptional talent.

Next up is Surrey and we start a four-dayer at Headingley tomorrow.

The encouraging thing is no-one is winning games really and we have had three solid draws and are still in the pack.

But we want to get that first win on the board and have a good record at Headingley and the weather looks fair set.

Obviously, we go into the game with the news that Joe Root has signed a new contract and it’s good news.

Joe was great to have around in the week and I am sure it will be the same this next week.

He’s an exceptional guy to have around and a fantastic player who is right on top of his game. He is also a mature guy and we want to keep him at Yorkshire for as long as we can – and all of his career really.

I am sure Yorkshire will see more of him at the back end of his career, but he’s certainly in full flow at the minute.

Away from Yorkshire, much talk has centred on the use of new helmets in the game and the new safety standards.

If it’s safe and it has been tested, I am happy to wear what is safe given the history and what happened to Phillip Hughes.

I am not a massive believer that if you are stood at leg-slip, that you have to wear a helmet and I know it has not gone down well with some wicket-keepers that they have to wear a helmet.

But I think when helmets first came in, there was this kind of uproar and now there’s the same thing with the new ones.